CREATIVE TEAM
Book by Jay Paul Deratany
Music by Coyote Joe Stevens & Keaton Wooden
Lyrics by Stevens, Wooden, and Deratany
JAY PAUL DERATANY
Jay Paul Deratany is a GLAAD nominated writer and activist. Deratany’s earlier plays include Veronica (VictoryGardens), Two Grooms and A Mohel (BailiwickTheater), and Haram Iran, for which he received a London Arts Counsel grant and a GLAAD award nomination for best theatrical writing in California. He is also the author of the feature films Saugatuck Cures (Cinema Diverse Film Festival, Palm Springs; Q Flix Film Festival, Philadelphia & REELING 32 Film Festival, Chicago) and FosterBoy, currently in production. Deratany continues to be an advocate for global LGBT youth rights and built a career in Chicago as one of the top 100 lawyers in the country and human rights advocate.
COYOTE JOE STEVENS
Joe Stevens is a transgender Americana singer-songwriter, composer, and trans rights advocate. Originally from Sacramento, Stevens recorded five albums and toured extensively with such notable acts as Indigo Girls, Melissa Ferrick, Girlyman, and Lowen & Navarro. Stevens is best known for his contribution as one of the first wave of transgender performers to break through into public consciousness. Recently, Joe and Keaton’s musical “Albert Cashier” won “Best New Musical” for the 2018 Chicago Jeff Awards, permanently changed the gendered categories of Chicago theater awards. Their next musical "Hills On Fire" was recently a Finalist for the 2023 Relentless Awards, the largest musical theater prize in the US.
KEATON WOODEN
Keaton Wooden is a Rhodes and Emmy-nominated writer, composer, and producer. Most recently developing the award-winning musical “Albert Cashier” w/ co-composer Joe Stevens in a reading with Tony-winner Michael Mayer, the scifi series “Dark Star” with oscar-winning producers of “Crazy Heart”, and “Hills on Fire”as Finalist for the 2023 Relentless Awards. As a screenwriter, he was winner of the AFM Pitch Conference, Finalist for the London Film Awards, NexTV Pilot Competition, and Script Pipeline. As a social impact producer, his film “TKOKC” is a social justice film Executive Produced by Morgan Freeman. Wooden specializes in art towards positive social change, to directly impact the community. To date, he has helped raise millions for charity, and multiple award-winning projects in the arts around the country.
DANIEL KLUGER (Orchestrator)
Daniel earned a 2019 Tony nomination, 2020 Grammy nomination, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for his work on Daniel Fish’s visionary Broadway revival of OKLAHOMA! Recent honors include four Tony nominations in three different categories, including two in 2020 for Best Sound Design for THE SOUND INSIDE and SEA WALL/A LIFE, and one for Best Original Score (music) Written for the Theatre for THE SOUND INSIDE.
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Recent Broadway work includes the world premiere of THE SOUND INSIDE, directed by David Cromer (starring Mary-Louise Parker), the revival of MARVIN’S ROOM, directed by Anne Kauffman (starring Janeane Garofalo & Lili Taylor) and the world premiere of SIGNIFICANT OTHER, directed by Trip Cullman, starring Gideon Glick. Kluger scored the critically acclaimed off-Broadway premieres of SUNDAY by Jack Thorne (dir. Lee Sunday Evans), ANIMAL (starring Rebecca Hall), and THE VILLAGE BIKE (starring Greta Gerwig, directed by Sam Gold) as well as the lauded NYT Critics’ Pick MAN FROM NEBRASKA by Tracy Letts, directed by David Cromer.
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Daniel teaches Music Production at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. Originally from Philadelphia, Kluger studied English Literature at Yale College and lives in Manhattan with his wife, daughter and two cats.
PRODUCERS
Produced by
Christine Russell & Ryan Bogner
CHRISTINE RUSSELL
Christine Russell (Producer) is an Executive Producer on the Tony Award winning show “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”, a project she developed for ten years based on the music of her first client, lyricist Gerry Goffin (Natural Woman, Locomotion, Upon the Roof). She served as the Lead Producer on Broadway’s ground breaking musical “Head Over Heels”, a comedic Elizabethan romp based on Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia featuring the song’s of The Go-Go’s.
Evolution Music Partners, a leading Hollywood based talent agency representing national and international composers for film and television. Russell’s career in the music industry began as a recording artist signed at Rondor Music, founded by Herb Albert and Jerry Moss, now owned by Universal Music Publishing. Following her time as a professional singer/songwriter, she transitioned to representation and a career as a Broadway producer.
RYAN BOGNER
Ryan Bogner (Producer) is a producer, entrepreneur and a founder and Co-President of Content for Broadway & Beyond Theatricals. Prior to founding BBT, he worked across the commercial and non-profit sectors of theater with various companies as a producer and executive and was a founder of Off Broadway Touring.
Broadway: THE KITE RUNNER, THE COTTAGE. Off Broadway: THE WOODSMAN, YEAST NATION, THE ORION EXPERIENCE, Regional: HERE LIES LOVE, CHEERS. Broadway as Co-Producer: PARADISE SQUARE, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, BIG FISH. BFA, Boston Conservatory. MFA, Columbia University.